Thursday, October 27, 2011

I stepped in to help at the bakery again and had these cakes to design. It's funny to try decorating while pregnant. My belly got in the way!

In the midst of decorating this lego cake, I noticed a glob of green icing on my apron. Then, as I am piping the borders, I notice a patch of icing was missing on the corner of the cake. I had some retouching to do but it all worked out.

No day would be complete without a zebra cake. Funny thing is the shoe cracked all the way through when I tried to place it on the cake. I attached 2 more cutouts of the same fondant shoe to cover the crack...one on the front and one on the back. Luckily, they called back and asked for a heart that read "I Love You"! I knew just where to put it!

Speaking of a baby belly, this order was for a rocker chick belly cake. We ended up going a little more subtle than what I would have called "rocker chick" but I think it worked out for the best. Plus, they wanted the belly to read "Born to Rock". I opted to use a silver star to draw in the silver dragees. I was also VERY proud of my bow!!!

Monday, October 3, 2011

My hubby and I just got back from the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Show in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I went last year and placed 3rd in my division, which was Semi-Professional Holiday Cakes. I don't "want" to be a semi professional b/c I've only been doing this for a little over 2 years. But since I have taught a cake class and have worked as a decorator in a bakery, I have no other choice.

I chose to compete in the same division as last year b/c I wanted to do better this time. AND...I actually got FIRST PLACE!!!!!!!!!! YEAH!!!!!!

Everything is made of fondant and is hand shaped. I used an extruder for the fence and the witch's hair.

I based my Frankenstein out of a book for sculpting clay figurines but made sure to add my own flair. His spiked cuffs were my favorite addition.

I made the skeleton out of fondant and was very proud of the skull and hands. I could not get his arms and hands to sit right with the sign. So, I just let him look like he fell apart.

My tree was my pride and joy.

I used wire and chocolate fondant.

Here's my tree skeleton.

And I simply added the fondant in sections starting with the branches and working my way to the trunk. I added texture and let every section dry before attempting the next.

To smooth out any lines or patch up cracks, I used small pieces of fondant and water. I smooth the edges of the patch with my fingers until the edges were completely invisible. I covered the entire tree with water so the coloring would be consistent and then packaged it separately for the trip to Tulsa.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

As we all know, I am expecting our second kiddo in January. I hit the 20 week mark at the end of August and decided to throw a party where our family and friends could be present when we find out the sex of the baby. The doctor wrote down the sex of baby and sealed it in an envelope. I was a good girl and did not peek before I dropped said envelope with my baker. He then baked the cake and cupcakes you see below.

Granted, it was my design but I couldn't very well make my OWN cake; that would ruin the surprise.

Inside, the cake was dyed either Pink or Blue and I had all the guests dress according to what they thought baby would be.

(The cupcakes were NOT dyed, which made for less temptation for peeking.)

We played games such as "Dirty Diaper Diving" where you had to guess the type of candy bar melted in the diaper.

(Note to self, do NOT use LUVS or HUGGIES...they melt. Pampers or Target brand are okay.)

We also played a game called "Guess Mommy's Girth" where everyone had to break off the amount of toilet paper they thought would go all the way around my belly. As you can see here, he guessed wrong. I'm not that big...YET.

After everything was said and done, my hubby and I cut the cake to reveal a VERY pink inside. So, we can now proudly say that we are expecting another GIRL!!! WOO HOO!!!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

I would like to apologize for my absence. Finding out that I am pregnant with our second kiddo has sent me on a confectionery sabbatical.

Due to the fact that I no longer work at the bakery nor do I teach the cake classes, I have had nothing to actually post for you. First trimester symptoms and having to stay home with my 2 year old for the summer has put my cake career on hold. That's right, I have not done another cake since my last post in May!!!!! It kind of shocks me b/c cake was basically my life for the past year.

Hopefully, I will be able to get back into the swing of things, soon. I have two AWESOME events coming up. The first will be the Baby Gender Revealing that we will have in September. That is a kind of "shower" where everyone finds out what you're having together. You can find out more HERE. And I will be using the yellow and black decor with a bumble bee theme as well.

The second event will be the OSSAS! I am going to enter a Halloween cake this year with lots of sculpting. Wish me luck...never really sculpted before. (Why do I always try out new techniques for a contest? One of these days I'll learn.)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

This was originally supposed to be a 2 tiered cake but the price changed their minds. Instead of a zebra tier and a polka dot tier, I think their design collaboration was a success.

I am so glad to be able to practice Spongebob at the bakery! My daughter wants a Spongebob birthday party. My design will be Spongbob sitting up in actual 3D and a Crabby Patty for her smash cake. It will be a big challenge but I think I am ready for it. The hardest part would be deciding how to keep Songebob from sagging. My theory will be to use a Styrofoam dummy for the bottom half and a pound cake for the top. We'll see what happens.

For a graduation/anniversary party, a family asked for an 80's themed cake since that is the only thing everyone could agree on. It was lots of fun researching the terms and the styles...kind of like reliving my youth.

My cousin needed a cake for her grandmother and sent me a picture of what she wanted. The cake is pretty much a duplicate except for the colors used and the basket weave. I also added a fondant ribbon and bow since buttercream bows are NOT my forte.

Aside from the monotony of doing so many zebra cakes at the bakery, I do love it when the order calls for zebra print details. An example being the "2" on the shirt. I roll out a thin pin of white fondant, press tiny pieces pinched from the black fondant, and then roll the all together. I think this gives it a more natural effect because both colors become one piece of fondant to use cutters on.

This order was for an anniversary and it called for gold roses. I wish there was a way to make actual gold roses from buttercream instead of just yellow roses.

This was the very FIRST time I ever used an edible image. I think it turned out nicely. Not really a big fan when the edible images are over used. They make a cake look cluttered.

This has a funny story behind it...

As I'm checking out my orders for the day, I notice another order for a Mario cake. They even attached a picture of what they wanted. (I love having a reference photo!) As I inspect the picture, I think to myself, "WOW! This cake looks awesome! How did they get such detail? Have I "googled" that cake in the past?" Then, a moment of clarity hits me like a ton of bricks...I MADE the cake that picture! That's where I've seen is before. The only difference was that the little figures are plastic on this cake but they give just the right touch.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

I jsut read about a cookie decorator named Maryann who does AMAZING work!!! I highly recommend parusing her interview on The Sweet Adventures of Sugar Belle to find some interesting hints and tips on cookie decorating. Just to give you an idea of some of her work...

She has so much variety in each batch of cookies! I am simple amazed.

You can see more of her work in the interview and also on her photostream...